Fiery rock will test whether life came from space

NewScientistSpace ^ | 08/13/07 | David Shiga

[KevinDavis]

A rock will be hurled into space on a rocket and subjected to the fiery heat of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere to test whether life could have hitched a ride from one planet to another in debris from an asteroid strike.

The rock is one of 35 experiments to fly on a European Space Agency mission called Foton M3, which is set to launch on 14 September from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Some scientists say life could have spread around the solar system by hitching rides inside rocks blasted from one planet or moon to another by asteroid impacts (see Earth rocks could have taken life to Titan).

[KevinDavis]

[laweeks]

Enough already. If life came here on a rock, then how did it get ON the rock. They can go backwards in origination theories only so far. At some point, something had to put it on the rock.

[Coyoteman]

Cool!

[Dysart]

[Lawgvr1955]

Even if the “life” form they use could survive the entry into Earth’s atomosphere, I question its survival of riding in space for anytime subjected to all the radiation, etc.

[SunkenCiv]

There has been one of these I think, but anyway...

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[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Sort of a cruddy title to be expected from New Scientist. A more accurate one would be: Fiery Rock to Test Whether Life Could Have Come from Space.